Ligustrum lucidum ‘Excelsum Superbum’ (Chinese Glossy Privet)

This is the variegated version of Ligustrum lucidum so below I've cut and pasted an edited version of what I wrote on that subject - in square brackets. This one is the same except : being variegated (white margins to the leaf) it's slower growing (15ft after 20 years) and in very harsh winters will show a bit of frost damaged on the variegated margins. There's a row near the Blacksmith's Arms in Adversane (quarter of a mile north of the nursery on the A29) but the finest one I have ever seen ever anywhere is by the bandstand in the Carfax in the middle of Horsham in West Sussex. Magnificent. If you can find somewhere to park, it's a good reason to visit Horsham. This is pictured - but over 10 years ago. You should see it now. There's a lovely Cork Oak (Quercus suber) nearby that we supplied about 20 years ago, while you're there.

[With most trees, having a beautiful rounded head is a function of age. Even fast growing Eucalyptus take 25 years, Oaks take 100 years and Phillyrea take 50 years. This does it almost immediately. If you catch a glimpse of one from a distance - even if it's only 10 years old - it'll look like a beautiful piece of topiary. A great rounded dome. The reason is something to do with its light sensitivity; all the leaves need light so badly, they'll compete for the light more aggressively than most trees. In the shade (in light woodland, for example), it has nice big glossy leaves and great vigour but no shape. To do its shape thing, it needs masses of space and light. As a result of this extreme response to light, all the leaves form a kind of crust on the outside. Stand beneath a Ligustrum lucidum and it's empty - all the leaves are way up at the top and at the edges. It'll grow on any soil (particularly happy on chalk) and obviously will take considerable exposure from the wind. We've had strangely mixed results from trying it by the sea so probably wouldn't suggest that. Coastal, yes but seaside, no. Mavis Batey had an amazing tree in her garden at Aldwick Bay near Bognor - just a few yards from the beach. Thick fleshy glossy leaves and full of health. Sometimes the leaves are too thin for a situation like that and get ripped by the wind and salt. Bit of a mystery. This can grow to 15 ft in 10 years and as much across, so the second fastest growing evergreen after Eucalyptus. Ultimate height is only about 30ft. It's a Privet - related to the Olives - and so a member of a tough family. Covered in white flowers in July and then covered in purply black berries for the rest of the year giving the tree a kind of purple haze. Never thought of that before. Was Jimi Hendrix a bit of a tree fancier on the side?

Plant high (members of the Olive family particularly dislike having the base of their trunks buried), feed and water lots. They clip well (all Privets clip well) if you want to keep them a particular shape and size.

My interest in trees was fostered by a book that used to be my constant companion - The Collins Field Guide to the trees of Britain and Northern Ireland by Alan Mitchell. He appeared to be on first name terms with virtually every tree in the country and was one of those people who could recount the value of Pi to 975 decimal places. He loved all trees except Purple Beeches (which he detested) but his very favourite tree of all was this one - Ligustrum lucidum. I only met him a few times (he died in 1995) but he knew of an avenue of them in London which he particularly revered. Sadly, I've forgotten where (Uxbridge?) and I never had time to visit]

Propagated by top grafting in Italy (top grafting means that Ligustrum lucidum 'Superbum' has been grafted on to a trunk of seed grown Ligustrum lucidum)